PARENT'S CORNER
A Selection of Informative Articles for Parents

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Fairfield Tutors Reading Comprehension The foundation of a student's academic future By Jill Hader, Director of Fairfield Tutors, Serving Fairfield & Westchester County Elementary School lays the foundation for a students' academic future. During these years, students learn key skills that they will utilize throughout their lifetime. One such skill is reading comprehension. Click here to read more...

How to Evaluate and Select a Camp Expanding Your Child's Horizons By Geoff Alswanger, Director, Long Ridge Camp, Stamford CT Selecting a Camp can be a challenge in today's time-pressed world. However, this decision should be taken with care as camps have the ability to help provide children with a special foundation in sports, arts and social skills. Click here to read more...

How do you Know Your Child Needs a Tutor? Understanding "Skills Gaps" By Maria Markus, Tutoring Clubs, Ridgefield & Stamford CT Skills gaps represent the difference between a student's actual level of academic performance and the required level of performance for a given grade. Poor marks on a progress report are often the first indicators of when this difference is becoming a problem. Click here to read more...

Making Sense of Sensory Disorders What are the Signs that Your Child May Have an Issue? By Steven M Freedman, MA, M Ed, Sensory Training Institute, Darien CT At the root of almost every sensory issue lies a "logjam" in the child's ability to take in information from the world around him, synthesize it and organize it in a meaningful way-the essential process of learning. Click here to read more...

Supporting Your Child's Emotional Development Helping your child learn to express their emotions in healthy ways By Ellen Swan, Director, Parenting In Action, Fairfield CT Children's emotional development can be directly related to how adults speak to and treat children and how their feelings are either honored or dishonored by others. Click here to read more...

When Should My Child Start Music Lessons? A Music Teacher's Perspective By Amy Shinohara, Hearts and Minds Music, Ridgefield CT Many parents instinctively feel that music will be of great benefit to their child's growth and development but may not be able to articulate why. Research, however, has proven that music is one of the few activities in life that stimulates both sides of the brain. Click here to read more...

How We Learn from "the Bard" Shakespeare for All Ages by Clista Townsend, The Enchanted Garden, Wilton CT There is much too learn from the plays of William Shakespeare, and it is not just for adults. Young people who play Shakespeare characters are thrust into a process of self-discovery. Most of all, they learn from the "Bard" what it means to be human. Click here to read more...

The Kitchen is an Exciting Place Cooking with Kids is Fun AND Educational By Holly Maybrook, Co-Founder, Creative Castle, Fairfield CT Spending time in the kitchen for a grownup might be a chore, but for children as young as 21/2 years the kitchen is a fun and exciting place. Children love the whole process of adding ingredients together to create something unique. Click here to read more...

Is A Direct Sales Career Right for Me? The Benefits of Independence By Kathy Procario, Consultant, Southern Living at Home - Serving Westchester County NY and Fairfield County CT Many women have been approached about a career in direct sales and have either run away screaming or listened politely but have had no real intention of pursuing what the woman on the other side of the table at Starbucks was offering. Click here to read more...

What About Boys and ADHD? Was Your Child Born with a Name AND a Diagnosis? By Ingrid Wright, LCSW, CSW, R - Serving Fairfield & Westchester County, & NYC Is every child born with a name and a diagnosis these days? Few diagnosis are as controversial as ADHD and yet it is widely used for our boys growing up today. Do these boys really have an issue or are we suppressing the nature of boys as well as saturating them with a highly stimulated as well as rigid society? Click here to read more...

Music Class is about Love Why Children Respond to Class in Different Ways. By Robert Markowitz, Owner, Moving to the Beat, Wilton CT Music class in not about ego, it's about love. That's what I learned when I finally attended children's music & movement classes as a parent after having taught thousands of them. I was amazed how exciting it was to see my child, Katie, stand before the class and play cymbals. Click here to read more...

There is CASH in your Kids' Closets! Ways to turn Outgrown Toys and Clothes into $$$ By Karey Baum, Co-founder, Nearly New CT, Stamford CT If you find that all your storage space is full of clothing and toys that your kids no longer wear or play with, and you are tired of spending money on more plastic bins, then it is time to turn these items into cash. Perhaps your child has had a growth spurt or he/she decided that their clothes are soooo "last week". Click here to read more...

"DO YOU CONDUCT BACKGROUND CHECKS?" If YOU don't ask, your child may be at risk. By members of the Center for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School, Norwalk CT When enrolling a child in an after-school enrichment or sports program, a mentoring program, or a summer camp most parents ask about the typical things: the types of activities available, the ratio of staff to children, the snacks that are served, and the cost of the program. What do many parents NOT ask? Click here to read more...

Finding the Right Camp for Your Child Getting Advice from a Camp Referral Agency By Randy Berman Ellis, The Camp Experts, Serving CT & NY With so many sleep-away camps to choose from, how do you know if you've found the right fit for your child? Before you begin the search, you have to know if this is something your child is ready for. Have they asked you if they could go to camp? Do they go on sleepovers at a friend's house? Click here to read more...

Spend Dinnertime with Your Children And watch their grades improve! By George Gardone, Owner/Chef, CookinDinners.com, Norwalk, CT Recent research studies show that spending time with our children during a "family dinnertime" can have a significant, positive impact on academics and behavior. Studies conducted by Harvard and Columbia Universities have determined that family dinners promote and enhance a child's language skills. Click here to read more...

To Yell or Not To Yell Alternatives to Yelling at your Children By Ingrid Wright LCSW, CSW, Family Psychotherapist, Stamford, CT & New York City The Scholastic Children's Dictionary defines yelling as "shouting, crying out or screamingly loudly". When we look at the definition in simple children's language we are able to recognize that this is perhaps not the best way to communicate to our children as well as for our general health. Click here to read more...

Choosing the Method of Adoption that is Right for You Questions & Answers to Help You Decide Between Domestic and International Adoption By Debbie Schwartz, Co-President, Hudson Chapter, Adoptive Parents Committee, Inc., Serving CT, NY & NJ The adoption process can seem overwhelming, especially at the beginning, when prospective parents are often bombarded with "helpful" friends and family insisting that they know the "best" way to adopt a child. The truth? Click here to read more...

Why Are Dinosaurs So Popular With Kids? For Seven Very Good Reasons. By Leslie Freund, Founder, Dinosaurs Rock! Montebello, NY We all know a child who's a dinosaur fanatic. One that can't pronounce his (or her) own name, but can say, without hesitation, multi-syllabic names like Protoceratops and Giganotosaurus.. A child that craves every book, toy and kit remotely related to these prehistoric creatures. The bottom line? Children are obsessed with dinosaurs. Click here to read more...

New Help for Stressed-Out Families Every family can benefit from Nanny 911-Like Services By Danielle Daure, MSEd, Owner, Fantastic Families of Fairfield & Westchester County Do you watch shows like Nanny 911 and Super Nanny with rapt attention, getting tips on how to handle behaviors you hope you never encounter, or fix those you're already dealing with? Programs like Nanny 911 showcase a profession that has been around for years, but which is largely unknown to most parents. Click here to read more...

Got Science? Tips about Kids and Science from a Mad Scientist By Terry Wright, Owner, Mad Science of Fairfield County, Stratford, CT Science is in every part of our lives and it is essential for children to learn about science. It is impossible to look around the world and not be exposed to science; the question is whether we recognize it or not. Click here to read more...

Party and Event Planning Guide Great Birthday Party Themes and How to Plan your Neighborhood Block Party By the editors at KidsEvents.com, Serving Fairfield and Westchester County It's not always easy to plan your kids' birthday parties & other special events, but KidsEvents.com is here to help parents living in Westchester County NY and Fairfield County CT. Check out all the local party resources we've put together for you and your children. Click here to read more...

Does Your Child Suffer from Party Indecision? Tips on what to do when your child can't make up their mind. By Cathy Blood, Co-Founder KidsEvents.com, Greenwich, CT My son turned 10 over seven months ago and we've yet to celebrate his birthday. Oh, we've had the "family cake" of course, but besides that, nothing has happened. What could possibly be keeping him from making up his mind about what kind of party to have? Click here to read more...

Why Kids Participate in Sports For the "Love of the Game". By Chris Whelan, Director, Overtime Athletic, Stamford, CT This past February Overtime Athletics Staff members were fortunate to attend a seminar presented by one of the foremost experts on youth athletics, former NBA player, Bob Bigalow. Mr. Bigalow's extensive research on the positives of youth athletics has helped to uncover the primary reason for the terrible state that youth athletics today. Click here to read more...

The Suzuki Method - What is it? An Approach Based on how Children Learn Language. By Heather Watson, Director, Greenwich Suzuki Academy, Greenwich, CT Shinichi Suzuki developed his method after World War II in an effort to enrich children's lives through music. He was amazed that children worldwide could all speak their mother tongue freely and effortlessly. He based his approach to musical education on the manner in which we learn language. Click here to read more...

Party Entertainers: To Tip or Not to Tip Insights from an Experienced Local Entertainer. By Paul Mordoff, Owner, Pongo the Clown LLC & Party Talent, Norwalk, CT Many parents wonder if they should tip a performer or not. A tip is always appropriate if you feel that the performer did a quality job, but not expected. If the performer kept the children's attention, interacted well with everyone, arrived on time and was pleasant to work with, a tip is a nice gesture. Click here to read more...

Stimulating Imaginations and Learning Why Kids Embrace Technology. By Megan Horner, Manager, ID Tech Camps, Fairfield & Westchester County Learning programming languages like C++, Java or HTML and producing digital movies might sound intimidating to those of us who grew up using a typewriter and listening to records. Not so though for Arthur Bailin and others from Fairfield, Greenwich, Stamford, Ridgefield, and throughout Connecticut. Click here to read more...

Going Out? What your Sitter Should Know Safety tips to protect your family while you are away from home. By Suzanne Stillwell, Owner, Sitting Service of Fairfield County, Darien, CT In ADDITION to the location and phone number where you will be, have the following information written down and readily accessible in the event of an emergency. Click here to read more...

Overcoming a Fear of Clowns Hints from a Professional Clown. By Paul Mordoff, Owner, Pongo the Clown LLC & Party Talent, Norwalk, CT It is very common for young children to be afraid of costumed characters like clowns and cartoon characters. When a child is around two, it is hard to distinguish between fantasy and reality. It is also surprisingly true that many adults are afraid of clowns also. Click here to read more...

Preparing for Battle How to set yourself up for a successful trip to the grocery store - with kids. By Cathleen Blood, Co-Founder, KidsEvents.com, Riverside, CT Make sure they've: eaten, gone to the bathroom, and have had a drink. Then bring another snack and drink with you to the store or you'll end up opening half the food in the wagon before you even get to the checkout counter. Click here to read more...

Teachable Moments at the Grocery Store How to turn a trip to the store into valuable "life lessons" for your children. By Cathleen Blood, Co-Founder, KidsEvents.com, Riverside, CT I'm standing in the cookie aisle watching in resigned silence as my normally rational three year-old makes a perilous third attempt to reach the top shelf. Her goal? A package of Mallomars I stashed out of her reach and repeatedly told her she couldn't have. An instant before my little mountain goat attains her heart's desire, I pluck her from the shelves. Click here to read more...